Malevolent Hall 1666AD (5 page)

“Are you ready to order?” a voice interrupted.

Matilda looked up and the server tapped her order pad with a pencil.

“Oh, yes, can I have a tea and a piece of chocolate cake please,” Matilda, replied.  The server jotted it down and headed back to the kitchen.

Matilda’s gaze turned back to the woman and her heart did a little skip.  Was that Jenny Turner?

For a minute, Matilda contemplated what to do, unsure if it was her old school friend, but if she were wrong, she could just apologise saying she had made a mistake.

Matilda picked up her bag and walked to her.

The woman looked up at her and for a moment, they stared at each other.

“Matilda Rhiamon?” the woman asked, her eyes widening in disbelief.

“Hello, Jenny,” Matilda replied with a huge smile.

“Oh my God, it is you!” Jenny squealed standing and flinging her arms around her, as best she could with her huge pregnant bump.  Matilda laughed hugging her back.

“Oh my god, where have you been, how long have you been back?” Jenny rushed.

“I got back yesterday, and as for where I have been that’s a long story,” Matilda said.

“Sit with me?” Jenny asked.  Matilda nodded, and quickly went back to her table to collect her belongings.

Sitting down, the old friends smiled at each, and then both went to speak at the same time.

“You first,” Matilda laughed.

“I still can’t believe it’s you, you look amazing.  How long is it, ten years?”

“Eleven,” Matilda replied.

“Eleven, gosh are you back for good?”

“I’m not sure yet.  I inherited the old hall, and it’s the first time I’ve been back since, since, well you know,” she said, lowering her eyes to the table.  Jenny’s hand reached across the table and placing it over Matilda’s she squeezed.

“I never even had a chance to tell you how sorry I was.  You just vanished overnight and it was nearly a week until I found out that you were still alive.  I thought you had died too.”

“Oh Jen, I’m sorry.  I had nothing when they took me to London, no phone numbers, no addresses and I just couldn’t bring myself to come back here until now.  It’s been too difficult – too painful.”

“I understand, I’m just so glad you’re here now,” she said with a smile.

“Hey what about you, when are you due?”

“In four weeks,” Jenny replied.

“So who’s the lucky fella, anyone I know?”  Jenny shook her head.

“No I met Jase when I was at college.  We got married last year, my new name is Mrs Cravell,” she said with a grin. “We weren’t quite expecting to have a family quite so soon, but were both really excited.”

“I bet you are.  Oh, Jen, it’s so great to see you,” Matilda said, and looking at her old friend tears welled in her eyes.

The server placed her tea and cake in front of her.

“Thank you,” Matilda said, glancing up to her.  Jenny looked at her watch and frowned.

“Look, Tilly I’m really sorry to cut and run but I have to go to my doctor’s appointment now, but can we catch up tomorrow?”

“Sure, why don’t you pop over to the Hall in the morning for coffee?” Matilda suggested.  Jenny rose to her feet, and moved to her side.  Matilda stood.

“I can’t wait,” Jenny said, throwing her arms around her and hugging her.  “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too,” Matilda replied, releasing her and waving as Jenny left the teashop.

Matilda sipped her tea, still not quite believing she bumped into Jenny, especially after just seeing her nameplate on her birthday table.  She had very few friends; in fact, she didn’t really have any except for Mike - well he was kind of a friend. 

Mike drove through the gates and stopped the van.  He turned to his dog sitting on the passenger seat.

“Now stay there,” he said with emphasis, pointing to the seat, and giving him a look with his eyes.  The dog tilted his head to one side and barked.  Mike jumped out, his booted feet splashing in a puddle as he landed with a thud.  As he walked towards the lorry following behind him, he scratched the back of his head.  Even though, he measured the width between the two gate columns, he was still a little anxious as he watched the lorry manoeuvre its way through.

“Left,” Mike yelled, his hands beckoning the driver as he began to walk backwards.  “Stop, okay, forward, keep it straight.”  With inches to spare, the lorry carrying his portacabin squeezed through.  After letting out a relieved breath, he gave the driver a ‘thumbs up’ and hurried back to his van.  He opened the door.

“Parker, move,” he said, his dog now sitting in the driver’s seat.  The collie jumped back into the passenger seat, and Mike climbed into his van.  He gave Parker’s head an affectionate rub and started the van.  That was the biggest in the convoy of lorries and cars following behind him so he knew there would be no problem with the others.  He slipped the van into first gear and continued along the long weed ridden drive.

As he pulled up outside Malevolent Hall Mike took in a deep breath, not sure if he was trembling because he was going to see Matilda again or because of that damned Hall.  He never told Matilda about the voices and the shadows he heard and saw when he was at the Hall the last time.  None of his men had heard or seen anything, so he tried to convince himself he had been imaging it. 

Parker barked and Mike gave him a gentle stroke, his finger twirling on the scruff of the dog’s neck.

“Yeah, I know boy, back to this creepy old Hall.”

Eleven years ago, something happened to him here he was unable to explain and he had never spoken to anyone about it.  Mike spent years trying to find Matilda, the girl who survived the murders.  When she unexpectedly contacted his father’s company and asked if he would renovate the hall, he knew fate had brought them back together.

The day he first met her to discuss the renovation plans, it was as if his eyes opened for the very first time.  Her very presence enchanted him and sent his heart into a crazy spin.  Now, he had the opportunity to be with her over the next eight to twelve months; he would be able to get to know her better, find out more about her, and the tragedy that befell her and her family.  He had a sense of familiarity with Matilda, of purpose of destiny.  Mike was certain today was just the beginning of something that would change his and Matilda’s life forever.

***

Matilda got back just after 11.30 and quickly put away her shopping.  At twelve o’clock prompt, Mike and his team began to arrive and the front drive was soon in chaos as it filled with cars and lorries.  From the door, she watched Mike guide the crew as they lowered two static caravans in place on the front lawn.  On seeing three Portaloos Matilda was glad she was not going to have to share her one toilet with around twenty men.

Mike was twenty-five, quite young for a construction manager, or so she thought.  She knew his age as he had invited her to his twenty-fifth birthday bash a couple of months ago.  It was there Matilda found out that his father had started the construction company over twenty years ago and at his sudden passing two years ago, Mike had taken over the family business.  He lost his mother a year before that, so he was wealthy in his own right after inheriting not only the family business, but also a substantial sum of money from his parents.

Matilda found he had no airs or graces.  Instead, he was down to earth, polite, and conscientious, and she knew as soon as she met him that he was what the Hall needed.  Her eyes followed his every move as he calmly co-ordinated the arrival of even more trucks.  He was tall; around six foot two, with dark wavy hair, a strong, but not overly muscly physique, and he had the most gorgeous hazel eyes that Matilda thought shone like stars.

She ran her hands through her hair, tidying and smoothing it down as he started towards her.

“Hi, Matilda, all ready for us?” Mike asked with a grin as he climbed the steps to the porch.  Parker sniffed at the stonework as he followed behind. 

Leaning on the doorframe, her eyes took him in.  He wore blue denim jeans, and a thick, black cable-knit jumper.  A yellow hardhat covered his dark hair and steal-capped boots thudded up the steps as he came towards her.

The dead plants, shrivelled to a stump in the terracotta plant pots on the window ledge beside her, suddenly grew and burst into flower as her heart swelled at the sight of him.

“Yep,” she said, greeting him with a smile and inhaling deeply as his aftershave wafted over her.  “Hi ya, Parker,” she said, squatting down and fussing the dog. Giving a chuckled as he licked her face, she kissed the top of his head. “Oh, I got the Aga working this morning,” she said glancing up at him.

“Great, see I said it would work,” he replied with a grin, watching her fuss his dog.  He stopped in front of her.

As she rose to her feet, he caught her eyes with his and they were the most amazing shade of green.  Deep and thoughtful and at the same time mysterious and sexy and for a second or two he was unable to look away.  Mike swallowed as a rush of arousal washed through him.

“Do you think you could check the chimney in the kitchen?” she asked, sweeping a loose curl behind her ear as heat rose to her face at his gaze.

“Of course, no problem,” he said, giving her a smile that made her stomach flutter.  He lifted his hard hat and swept his fingers through his dark hair, it was a simple move, yet so sexy.

“I’ll take a look now if you like,” he added, plonking his hat back on.

“Um, really, oh okay, thanks that would be great,” she replied, clearing her throat after regaining her composure.

“In return for a cuppa,” he added, with a rise of both his eyebrows at her in expectation.

“I knew there would be a catch,” she groaned sarcastically.

“I’ll just go and grab my torch, back in a sec. Come on, Parker.”  He turned and hurried down the steps, his dog at his heels. 

Watching him, Matilda took a deep breath - it wasn’t only the hall that needed him, the more she saw of Mike the more she longed for him. He disappeared into his van and leaving the door ajar, she walked back to the kitchen.  Filling the kettle, Matilda grabbed a couple of mugs out the cupboard.  After pouring in the milk, she chucked in a couple of teabags.

“Erm, do you think it would be too much trouble?” Mike asked from behind her.  She spun around, and in his hands, he carried a bowl full of mugs.

“No, of course not, how many are there?” she asked, with a laugh in her voice and a shake of her head.

“Seventeen please,” he replied, plonking the bowl containing the mugs and a pint of milk on the worktop.  Matilda busied herself making the tea.

“What the hell happened here?” Mike asked as his eyes took in the burned boiler.

“It caught fire, last night,” she said, sneaking Parker a biscuit.  The dog wagged its tail in appreciation as he woofed it down.

“What?  Oh my God, are you okay?” he asked with concern as he examined the old boiler.

“Yeah, I’m fine.  There was an old extinguisher in the cupboard under the sink.”

“I’m so sorry.  It looked fine when we checked it over,” he apologised.

“Don’t worry about it, it was old,” she replied, watching him as he continued to examine the damage.  He shook his head walking to her.

“No, it should never have happened.  I’ll get my electrician to take a look at it to make sure it’s safe, and I’ll order you another one.”

“Thanks,” she said, watching Mike stroll over to the fire and move the safety guard out of the way.  Switching on his torch, he crouched down, leaned into the fireplace, and shone the torchlight up the chimney.

“Would you like lunch, a sandwich, or something?” Matilda offered.

He glanced to her.

“No, thanks, I’m good at the moment, maybe just a biscuit?” he asked.

“Sure,” she replied, opening the box of biscuits she bought at the shops that morning, and taking them over to him.

“This looks okay,” he said, backing out of the chimney.  He unwrapped something, threw it on the grate, took out a box of matches from his jacket pocket, and lit one.

“What’s that for?” she asked.  He glanced up at her and stood.

“It’s a smoking log, it will show me if the flue is clear.  We use them all the time to check chimneys.”  Mike took out his walkie-talkie.

“Steve, I’ve chucked in a smoke log, can you tell me if you see some?” he asked.  The radio crackled.

Steve’s voice came back, “Nothing yet.  Give it a minute or two.”

“Okay.”  Mike smiled at her as they waited.  Offering him a biscuit, he perused the box and took out a chocolate wafer.

“Thanks,” he said, stuffing it into his mouth.

“Here it comes,” Steve called back.

“Great, thanks, Steve,” Mike acknowledge.  He turned to her.

“We’ll let that burn out, just be sure, but it looks safe enough to use and there’s no smoke backing up.  What about wood, what are you going to burn?” he asked.

“I’m sure I can gather some wood from the forest.”

“It will be wet after all this rain,” he pointed out.

“Oh, um my dad had a wood store out the back, would the wood in there still be any good?” Matilda asked, thumbing to the window.

“Maybe, if it’s dry.  I tell you what, after we take the lads their tea, how about we go and have a look?”

Matilda lifted her hand and touched his arm, feeling the softness of his cable knit jumper beneath her fingertips.

“Thanks, Mike,” she said.

“No problem,” he replied, smiling at her as he put the fireguard back in place.

Matilda made tea and put the mugs on a couple of trays.  Slipping on her jacket, they took the tea and box of biscuits out to the crew.

“Right,” Mike said, finishing his mug of tea and yet another biscuit.  “Where’s this wood store?”

“It’s around the back of the Hall.  It will be quicker if we go back inside and out the back door,” she replied.

“Parker,” he called to his dog, who was taking a nap.  At the sound of his master’s voice, the dog jumped to his feet and followed them back through the Hall, into the kitchen and out the back door.

Overgrown with brambles and thick with weeds, the ground beneath their feet was soggy and muddy from all the rain, making it difficult to walk to the shed.  Matilda was glad she had her black, knee high boots on and hitched her dress up to avoid it drooping in the puddles.

“God, this is going to take so much work,” she grumbled, surveying what was her back lawn once.

“You’ve got Rosemary Oskins coming in to do the landscaping right?” he asked.

“Yes, you said she was the best,” Matilda remarked back.  “There’s a team coming in to start stripping out all these brambles in a couple of weeks.”  She bent down, picked up a stick, and threw it.  Parker scampered off after it.

“She’s the best, so don’t worry, by the summer it will be back to its former glory.  The Hall and the grounds are going to look stunning when it’s all finished.”

“It had better, it’s costing me a bloody fortune,” she said with a laugh in her voice.  Matilda estimated around three to four million to get the place back to how it was, including furnishing it all. 

“Do you think you will get lonely, living here all by yourself when it’s finished?” he asked.  She glanced at him.

“I haven’t decided whether I will live in it yet.  I might turn it into a business, a hotel, or one of these open houses like the National Trust has.”

“Oh,” he replied.

“Oh?” she asked.

“Well, it seems a shame, that’s all.  It would make a lovely family home.”

Matilda looked away from him, her mind clearly elsewhere as she felt judders in her heart.

When she finally spoke again, it was just a whisper.

“It was once.”

“I’m so sorry,” he said horrified realising what he had said.  He put a hand on her arm pulling her to a halt.  “I wasn’t thinking.”  She turned, looking at him, her eyes falling into his.

“It’s okay,” she assured, with a gentle shrug of her shoulders.  “Sometimes when you least expect it, reality just hits you in the gut.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he apologised, stroking her arm with a gentle touch.

“You didn’t, really I’m okay,” Matilda assured again.

Despite the sudden wave of sadness, the way he looked at her caused her heart to flutter, and she lowered her eyes embarrassed and continued to walk.

“Good boy,” she said as Parker dropped the stick by her feet.  She picked it up and threw it again.

Mike looked on after her, kicking himself for being such an idiot.  Having recently lost his own parents, he of all people should have known better. Especially with the horrific way they had died, he hated to think he had just reminded her of it.  He watched her as she bent down and picked up the stick Parker had dropped by her feet.  Her long, dark hair was wavy and it lifted gently in the breeze.